Almost every bodybuilder has gone through a bodybuilding plateau at some point in there bodybuilding career. This is one of the worst periods for a bodybuilder because no matter how much time you spend in the gym your muscle development seems to have stagnated. The training routine which you were using in the past and caused an increase in your muscle size and strength seems to longer work no matter how hard you try. This period of a bodybuilder’s career will greatly determine whether they are going to succeed or whether they are going to fail. Some will quit thinking that they will no longer be able to increase the size of there muscles.

There are those who take steroids in order to overcome the plateau. This approach is not recommended because it could lead to several side effects. In men they have been known to experience the following side effects; shrinking of the testicles, growth of breasts, low sperm count, decrease in sex drive, impotence, baldness,: women on the other hand experience the following side effects, enlargement of the clitoris, growth of facial hair, there voice breaks and they start talking like men, irregularity in there menses, and baldness. These side effects are as a result of the hormonal imbalance brought about due to using steroids. There are other side effects which are life threatening and they include; enlargement of the heart, stiffening of the arteries, enlargement of the prostrate, liver conditions, acne, heart ailments , kidney problems and muscle tear. The use of steroids also affects someone’s psychological health in that they become more aggressive, suicidal, depressed and also suffer from severe cases of insomnia.

If you hit a plateau in bodybuilding this does not mean the end of your bodybuilding career. There are certain measures you can take which will guarantee that you are able to achieve muscle progress again. The first thing you need to understand is the reason why you are experiencing the bodybuilding plateau. The major reason why bodybuilders hit a plateau is because there muscles have become somewhat complacent. This normally happens when you fail to introduce new challenges to your body muscles. When you fail to challenge your muscles they will not be able to respond and grow accordingly. What determines your muscle growth is the amount of stress you submit them, if it reaches a point where they are already used to that particular stress level they will not be able to respond by growing. The best technique which will help you beat the plateau is when you undertake progressive resistance training. This is where you increase the load of your training from time to time.

Your body muscles not only get used to the amount of stress of your training but also to the kind of food you eat. If you fail to change your eating pattern from time to time you will also experience a bodybuilders plateau. Your food intake should be increasing from time to time so that you can be able to increase more.

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